We are delighted that a fantastic new Korean restaurant serves up some of the most exception Korean food in Sydney! My wife has praised this place saying “it's the most authentic Korean she's had outside of Korea”.
I actually saved a review of this back in Nov 2018, but it took us nearly a year to first visit. We’ve been twice, and both times walked away so happy and also sad that our dining experience ended.
We are always on the look out for new Korean and places that do specific Korean dishes really well. My wife is Korean and having amazing Korean food helps with homesickness and cravings for things that her aussie husband hasn’t quite mastered cooking yet.
Weekend Lunch Menu (As of Dec 2019);
Lunch Specials (as of 07.12.2019)**:
**Note: the lunch specials changes frequently - but so far they’ve all been excellent. In fact, I’m sure I’m not alone when I say I wish some of the specials were regular items on their menu !
Jjim Mandu ($14.00)
Home-made pork or vege steamed dumplings with sides (v).
Korean dumplings (Mandu) are usually a good thing to order, and at a place like SBM we guessed correctly that they would be great. They were frankly perfect.
Jae yuk ($15.00)
Spicy BBQ pork belly with rice & sides.
Yae yuk is one of my favourite Korean dishes, and SBM’s version is really great. The dish comes out in it’s own small hot plate, and rice and sides come seperate. I’m glad that this is one of the regular menu items.
Soondubu Jjigae ($15.00) - **LUNCH SPECIAL / Limited time**
Spicy silken tofu soup
Words really can’t describe how good this version of Soondubu is. Perfect? Amazing? I’m getting sad thinking about the fact that this was a lunch special which means it was only available for a limited time.
Kimchi Bibim Guksu ($15.00) - **LUNCH SPECIAL / Limited time**
Spicy cold noodle with Kimchi
This was the dish that my wife was dying to have. She was so satisfied with this dish, it really felt like being back in Korea. It was really tasty, and I noted that it was very popular with our Korean friends who went to try it - and on Sang by Mabasa’s Instagram account!
Banchan (Side dishes) - FREE / Complimentary
It wouldn’t be a Korean restaurant if you weren’t given some panchan. The exact mix changes constantly, but expect to have a kimchi, a more neutral/green option, and perhaps a fishcake. This guess is just based off the two visits we’ve done.
Pomegranate Ade ($6.00)
I love this so much that I don’t think I can come here and not order it! So good and refreshing. The only trouble is convincing our toddler that it isn’t juice for him to try/have.
Older Lunch Specials (cira Nov 2019):
As I mentioned before, the lunch specials change frequently which is a double-edged sword. You constantly get new and amazing things to try - but when you love it, it’ll likely be gone.
Ddeok Bokki ($15.00) - **OLD LUNCH SPECIAL / Limited time**
Spicy Stir-fried rice cakes
Whilst Ddoek Bokki is normally casual street food, this is exactly the high-quality you’d expect to have as a restaurant dish. My wife likely still wants to order this.
Note: since this was a lunch special back in Nov 2019, they might not make it / have it available to order.
Kong Guksu ($15.00) - **OLD LUNCH SPECIAL / Limited time**
Cold Soy-bean noodle soup
This was my adventurous order - I love cold korean noodles, but have never had the soy-bean variant before. My wife said that it would likely be very good, and whilst it was (according to her native expertise) I have to admit I was slightly disappointed by it. Not because of the dish, but rather my own inability to enjoy soy-bean as much as I thought I did.
I didn’t really eat that growing up and the flavour is something I’m learning to appreciate. To be frankly honest, the biggest reason I was disappointed was because I knew I could have ordered something else from the menu and made a pact that that I’d have to come back to try more of their menu.
Note: since this was a lunch special back in Nov 2019, they might not make it / have it available to order.
PROS:
Could be the best tasting Korean restaurant in Sydney.
Every lunch special has been amazing, and all the food has been really great.
They have a high-chair !
CONS:
Lunch menu seems to be more appealing / better options than dinner menu.
Amazing lunch specials disappear too quickly and you’ll be wanting more!
Extremely limited soup options for dinner/takeaway
OVERALL:
We love love love SBM and only wish that they did more of their menu at night/dinner so I could come and get takeaway once a week. Sadly, we seem to only be limited to visiting at lunch on weekends.
DETAILS:
Address = 98 Fitzroy St, Surry Hills NSW 2010
Phone = (02) 9331 5175
Website = https://www.sangbymabasa.com.au
Menu = https://www.sangbymabasa.com.au/menu.html
Instagram (for weekly specials!) > @sangbymabasa
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